MESSENGER Image of Mercury: Crater Statsu

Of Interest: This image, acquired with the Narrow Angle Camera (NAC), shows Statsu crater, the large crater extending out the left side of the frame. Named for Japanese artist Tawaraya Statsu, the crater was first imaged by Mariner 10 in the 1970s; this is the first close-up view by MESSENGER. The bright spots on Statsu's floor are caused by small, fresh, young craters.

This image was acquired as part of MDIS's high-resolution surface morphology base map. The surface morphology base map will cover more than 90% of Mercury's surface with an average resolution of 250 meters/pixel (0.16 miles/pixel or 820 feet/pixel). Images acquired for the surface morphology base map typically have off-vertical Sun angles (i.e., high incidence angles) and visible shadows so as to reveal clearly the topographic form of geologic features.

The MESSENGER spacecraft is the first ever to orbit the planet Mercury, and the spacecraft's seven scientific instruments and radio science investigation are unraveling the history and evolution of the Solar System's innermost planet. Visit the Why Mercury? section of this website to learn more about the key science questions that the MESSENGER mission is addressing. During the one-year primary mission, MDIS is scheduled to acquire more than 75,000 images in support of MESSENGER's science goals.